What to Wear to a Job Interview

In my opinion, looking for an outfit to wear for an interview is the hardest. You want to make a good first impression regardless of whether the dress code is casual smart or smart. Dress to impress as they say. The dress code will depend on the the job sector, job role and the company as a whole.

Causal smart is the hardest in my opinion. Even though it is more relaxed, you don’t want to be too casual. My rule of thumb is to skip the jeans. Save that for nights out with your future colleagues instead. You also don’t want anything too revealing. In the image above, I have chosen a blouse theme. Don’t be afraid of a coloured blouse. It will bring your outfit to life. If colour isn’t your thing, patterned skirts are another way of bringing life to the outfit. You can never go wrong with florals.

If you’re choosing a dress, don’t for something that is very figure hugging. You want to be able to relax and breathe. Find a dress that slightly cinches at the waist to give you shape. For skirts and dresses, you don’t want the length to be short, 2 inches above the knee is the limit. You can look for a dress that is fitted top or bottom but never both as it may give a wrong impression. Never go for open toe shoes or boots. You can choose shoes that has interesting details like ankle straps, open back, nothing too in your face.

For smart, I tend to think of secondary school uniforms. Oh those were the days. When it comes to dressing smart, you want to show your professional side so nothing revealing. No bright colours. Navy, dark grey and black are the popular choices. A white shirt or white blouse is always a safe bet. You will need a smart looking shirt and not a casual white shirt which everyone will probably have in their wardrobe. For trousers, you can go for a slim or straight fit, never skinny nor high waisted. Remember to tuck your shirt or blouse in. Throw on a matching blazer too. Pencil skirt must not be too tight. The length of the skirt and dress is very important as I would highly recommend just above the knee to be the short limit.

Wearing pointed shoes would be better than round shoes. You want these to be plain with no detailing and black would be the best choice. You can wear heels but make sure you wear mid heels as you may be at the interview all day especially if it’s an assessment centre. You want to be comfortable as you don’t want to trip when you walk into the interview. Now that would be very embarrassing.

If your interview is at a law firm, accountancy, banking etc, the dress code will be a lot smarter. Opt for blazer, skirt, trousers/pencil skirt. If you’re confused or still clueless, I would highly recommend the blouse and plain pencil skirt combination. You can never go wrong with it.

Job hunting may be a chore but it will be worth it in the end. Don’t give up. Browse thousands of jobs online with City Calling to find a job matched to your personality and skill set as well as around the world as many job sites are limited to the UK only. They have great tips for job seekers, covering the all around subjects you need the answer to. There are tips for those who are in employment too. Don’t worry, they haven’t missed you out.

21 Comments

Lucy Zelazowski

22nd July 2015 / 11:50 pm

What a lovely post, I really like all of your choices, both the causal and smart outfits. Mind you I would stick with the smart for the interview and wear the causal once employed! I adore pencil skirts, always great for the office! Lovely post thank you